Karl Laurence Backus is an American actor and art director who appeared in multiple productions of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in the 1980s and 90s, a San Diego production of Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde (2003), and the films Skin: The Movie (2018), Thane of East County (2015), and Walking with the Enemy (2013). Backus has multiple ensemble nominations at the Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema.
Career In 1983, Backus was a public service announcer for KBST. He worked as an art director for J. Walter Thompson and in 2015, he was with the San Diego Film Commission.
Backus is a member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He became a member around 1986 and was part of seven teams sponsored by the Napa Valley Opera House assigned to visit over 170,000 students annually across eight states in the Western United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. Following a performance at Edward C. Reed High School, Backus and his coworker were robbed of their equipment and clothing after discovering their car was stolen.
Reception Phyllis Wolfe at The Des Moines Register said his performance as Malcolm in Macbeth "hones his battle ax with a low, resounding ring downstage" and brought clarity to his lines. Ron Cowan at Statesman Journal said his performance in Moliere Plays Paris "is briefly but unforgettably seen as a king who offhandedly invents the musical comedy." Steven Winn at SFGate said Backus' scene in Arcadia was the best one, playing "a bored king who is both generous and high-handed." George Weinberg-Harter at Backstage Magazine said Backus' performance as Edward Carson in Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde was the "understated seriousness of a complete legal professional."
Personal life Backus was born to Joyce and Laurence Backus of Central Point, Oregon. He started acting around the time he was 20 and in 1987, graduated from Southern Oregon University with Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre arts. Backus earned a master's degree in 1992 at Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. Backus graduated from the Portfolio Center in 1999 and married Summer King in 2000. He studied with José Quintero, Oleg Tabakov and did high school theater with Shelley Malil in 1981.
Stage credits +Theater performancesYearTitleRoleLocationNotesCloud NineBetty / GerryAmerican College Theatre FestivalRegional winnerScapino!ScapinoSouthern Oregon State College, Ashland, OregonMainstageIn a Northern LandscapeSamuelCrimes of the HeartBarnetteRashomonWoodcutterBar & GerBarStudio, by Geraldine AronFire in the DarkVan GoghStudioA Life in the TheatreJohnMiss JulieJean1987–1988MacbethElizabethan Stage, Oregon Shakespeare FestivalA Midsummer Night's DreamThe Shoemaker's HolidayHenry IV, Part One1989Cyrano de BergeracApprentice Pickpocket / Boy / CadetFeaturing Roy AbramsohnTwo Gentlemen of Verona1993MacbethMalcolmIowa Shakespeare Project, Greenwood Park, Iowa1996ArcadiaKing Louis XIVAngus Bowmer Theatre, Ashland, OregonFebruaryJuneMoliere Plays ParisElizabethan Stage, Oregon Shakespeare FestivalBy MolièreCoriolanusRomeo and Juliet1997Gregory2003Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar WildeAttorney Edward CarsonSan Diego, California2004Thief RiverMiddle-aged RayDiversionary Theatre, San Diego, CaliforniaBy Lee Blessing +School visitation performancesYearTitleLocationNotes1987Romeo and JulietYerington High SchoolThe Taming of the Shrew'Tis Pity She's a WhoreShoemaker's Holiday1988The TempestLittle Theater, Kingsburg High SchoolMuch Ado About NothingThe Catcher in the RyeDandelion Wine1996Henry VTumwater Middle School, Portland, OregonTwo SoldiersBy William FaulknerThe Butter Battle Book1997Shh...Listen To MeCloverdale High School, Cloverdale, CaliforniaFeaturing segments from Two Gentlemen of Verona, In Flanders Fields, and Dancing at Lughnasa
Filmography YearTitleRoleNotes1993Hidden FearsMan at the Y2006What's the Vig?Kenneth Hart2011MisdirectionSimsungAlso executive producer2013Walking with the EnemyColonel Klein2015Thane of East CountyDuke2016A Life LivedJeffersonUndocumentedReporterShort film2018Skin: The MovieLance2019GPSMalcombShort film2024Sincerely SaulOfficer Porter
Accolades EventYearFilmAwardResultBlast Off Film Festival2019Skin: The MovieBest Acting EnsembleIdyllwild International Festival of Cinema2020Best Ensemble2021GPSBest Ensemble Cast
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